Costly Communication at Work
Consider how your careless words may be interpreted or risk losing your job
Frustration, disgust and judgment can get the best of us at work, leading us to communicate foolish and reckless viewpoints. Sometimes it’s intentional and other times, it’s a regrettable mistake we soon regret. Depending on the severity, we could invite into our jobs and lives some very unwanted, big problems.
A college professor at the University of Kansas (KU) is no longer on campus after a video of him communicating went viral on X, showing the professor making unprofessional and emotional remarks about men who, in his mind, reject the common good by not voting for a woman for president.
Here’s what a voice of higher education communicated and how he expressed it.
“What frustrates me: there are going to be some males in our society that will refuse to vote for a potential female president because they don’t think females are smart enough to be president,” professor Phil Lowcock stated.
This is a reasonable observation or emotional belief yet what Lowcock said next took his judgment and disgust — or anger — further.
“We could line all those guys up and shoot them,” he said in a college classroom, representing his employer — the university — in a culture where such a negative statement is surely to be quickly exposed and judged harshly.
This is a professional who is not in control of their impulses and speech behavior, feeling sufficiently psychologically safe expressing an imagined superiority of singular thought. Even on a college campus, that’s dangerous business.
“They (the men he was talking about) clearly don’t understand the way the world works,” the professor added.
The question is, is this particular leader teaching students how to think and consider culture in a more intelligent manner or is Lowcock, through opinion, telling students what he wants them to believe?
His brain caught up to his tongue immediately upon making his comments.
“Did I say that?” he rhetorically asked. “Scratch that from the recordings. I don’t want the deans hearing that I said that.”
“Scratch that,” meaning, delete what I just said so I don’t get caught. Is this trustworthy behavior from a leader entrusted to educate students?
KU released a statement in response:
“I am writing today to inform you that the instructor has left the university. We are working to identify a new instructor to assume responsibility for his classes, and we are working with the students impacted by this change.”
School leadership continued:
“The instructor has apologized to me and other university leaders. He has explained to us that his intent was to emphasize his advocacy for women’s rights and equality, and he recognizes he did a very poor job of doing so.
“The free expression of ideas is essential to the functioning of our university, and we fully support the academic freedom of our teachers as they engage in classroom instruction. Academic freedom, however, is not a license for suggestions of violence like we saw in the video. While we embrace our university’s role as a place for all kinds of dialogue, violent rhetoric is never acceptable.“
Lowcock’s intent with his commentary (that’s what it was) may have been positive, he may well be an honorable, respected, valuable advocate for women as we all can be yet yes, he did a very poor job of exhibiting professionalism and teaching excellence.
Should this professor have had to resign or been fired?
The initial frustration he expressed isn’t what did him in professionally. Yet he wanted to take his disgust and anger anger one step further.
“We could line all those guys up and shoot them.”
That’s a vivid visualization and picture.
While he didn’t specifically threaten any one known person or group and while he was most likely talking in a careless yet offensive manner, you cannot express at work one’s feelings that give off the impression of supporting or proposing violence.
If the cultural standard is that violent words need to be always condemned and in a punitive manner as well, then this professional must go (lose his job) and accept the black mark on his name and on his career. That is the status quo.
Lowcock could prove to be a person who learns from his communication decision-making error and show himself to be of high character in admirably discussing what he did, why it was wrong and how he will move forward.
Or he can, as most people do, hide out for a while and hope things blow over, people forget and go back to pursuing his professional interests and a new income.
Michael Toebe is a specialist for trust, risk, relationship, communications and reputation at Reputation Intelligence - Reputation Quality. He serves individuals and organizations by helping them further build, protect, restore and reconstruct reputation.
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